SP-BSP, Congress Fear EVM Tampering, Ask Workers to Guard Strong Rooms Till Counting

Amid allegations of EVMs being changed and majority of exit polls projecting a win for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), nearly all the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have issued advisories to their workers to guard the strong rooms where the EVMs have been kept and also to match the numbers of EVMs on the counting day. The workers, who will be on duty at the counting centre, have further been asked to match the number of votes polled and the number of votes counted.

An advisory issued on Monday by Samajwadi State Chief Naresh Uttam Patel has asked the workers to guard the strong rooms in shifts of eight hours each. The advisory also asks to recruit experienced counting agents along with ace lawyers, who should be present on the counting spot till the counting process gets over.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has also asked its workers to guard the strong rooms and to match the EVM numbers so that they can’t be changed at the time of counting. The advisory further asks workers to ensure that the green paper seal and the special tag are same and only then the permission should be given to open the EVM for counting.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has also sent out a voice message asking workers not to get demoralized by Exit Polls and rumours. “My dear Congress workers don’t lose heart because of Exit Polls and rumours, such things are spread to demoralize you. You should be more alert now, stay firm outside the strong rooms and at the counting centres. We have a firm belief that our hard work will not go waste.”

Earlier in Ghazipur district, SP-BSP alliance candidate Afzal Ansari sat on a dharna (protest) and alleged that the administration was trying to change the EVMs. Ansari also demanded that at least two BSP workers must be issued passes to sit near the premises where EVMs were kept in strong rooms at five different places. “We doubt that administration may get the EVMs changed at the behest of the BJP government. We are staging a protest at Jangipur Mandi until our demands are met by the district administration and we are assured about the safety of the EVMs. We will not go anywhere and will guard the EVMs by ourself.”

District Magistrate K Balaji said that the administration was ready to issue passes to three people for eight hours each.